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The San Mateo County Transit District is adding 25 new hybrid buses manufactured by a Hayward company to its fleet by the end of the year.
The district’s board of directors approved a $32.2 million contract for the purchase of 62 new buses at a meeting earlier this month. Twenty-five of the buses will be diesel-electric hybrid buses, spokeswoman Christine Dunn said Friday.
The 40-foot long hybrid buses will replace buses that date to 1998, and are expected to save around $3 million in fuel costs over the next 12 years, Dunn said.
The hybrid buses will be manufactured by Gillig of Hayward, meaning the purchase will support Bay Area jobs, Dunn said. They produce 90 percent fewer nitrogen oxide emissions than the buses they replace.
The hybrid bus purchase is being financed with a $4.9 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. In order to keep costs lower, SamTrans has also formed a buying consortium with other agencies for the purchase, Dunn said.
In addition to fuel efficiency, the new buses also offer improved wheelchair access and smart energy-efficient LED lighting that automatically adjusts to ambient light.
This is good news, of course. Better news would be if SamTrans announced more frequent service on the KX line. The current hourly service is pathetic.
Yes, it is good news! anything that save fuel and reduces smok is good, good, good!!! One never knows with the savings that the KX line will not get more service!
This looks like a press release! What is the cost of the hybrid buses?
Saving $3 Million over 12 years doesn’t look like it will come close to payback.
And forget about the phony cost reduction from the $4.9 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. Folks, that’s taxpayer’s dollars! And, Gillig already received a government subsidy from the Federal Transit Administration’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program.
FYI
Mary Stasiak, the AATA’s community relations manager, revealed that a new 40-foot hybrid bus costs a staggering $546,000, which is $245,000 more than a comparable conventional bus. Grants from the Federal Transit Administration’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program ease the financial burden. Since the hybrids are 30 percent more efficient, half of their extra cost will be offset by fuel savings. Maintenance costs are expected to drop by 30 to 50 percent, because the hybrid’s regenerative braking doubles the life of the friction brakes and lowers the stress on suspension components. While it’s impossible to assign a dollar value to clean air, the hybrids also provide emission reductions ranging from up to 50 percent for CO2 and NOx to 90 percent for carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter.
Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/green/reviews/0808_aata_gillig_hybrid_electric_bus/#ixzz2IkJdGfF1
Yes, Mr. Hickey, there is a cost, but there is also value. They’re not the same thing.
There is opportunity cost which one can apply. If the cost to produce that which you value reduces the opportunity to procure something of greater value, that would be a lost opportunity. It is important to understand the total cost if one is to evaluate what other values might accrue from the expenditure. Decisions must be made but not by you or me. We get to decide how to spend what’s left over after taxes.